Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1887-01-29
NEW ENGLAND TRAGEDY


A boyish passion, that in mountainous
New England is ever wreathed with po-
etc romance, had made lovers of Esther
Carter and Walter Lane. They were
near neighbors; had attended school to-
gether ever since their A B G days. A
love that will blaze forth into alteration
after years of commonplace association
of careless childhood speaks well for the
mating of eternity, or else, as some
poor cynic might say, it speaks ill OF
ones opportunities.
Esther Carter was one of those mag
nificent beauties that can be found in
actual profusion in New England.
Blonde as the day, with those piercing
electric blue eyes, whose sapphire tints
charm all who would foolishly attempt
to fathom them; with form and COM
plexion as befitted a perfect maiden,
Esther Carter was beautiful creature.
She possessed one of those peculiar tenn
peraments that SO often are found in her
class of beauty, that seems to be cham
eleon-like and takes its coloring from
surroundings. You will find such
person perfect synonym of faithful
love, and the exact duplicate heartless,
selfish firt; again, a royal wife and
mother, with the exact duplicate dis
sipated woman of scarlet. There must
be unfathomable mysteries back of those
fatal sapphire eyes. That accounts for
the variableness of those that possess
them.
Walter Lane was a worthy lover of
such beauty as Esther Carter; as be-
fitted the lover of her fair skin and light
hair, he was young, swarthy- skinned
giant, with black hair that curled and
black eyes that snapped, eyes that re-
fected unquestioned love from deep
down in his heart, and that bode evil at
all attempts at trespass upon his fair do
main.
When Walter was 81 and two years
older than Esther, their engagement had
been announced and early winter men
toned as the time of their proposed mar
riage; but those horrible drums and the
crying for men for defense of the coun-
try, came into the pretty New England
home of these young lovers, and with
the persistency of the furies would not
quiet until the very last young brave
had left for those far away battlefields.
Walter needed not much urging to
tramp away with the rest of them, for
fame and glory are tremendous incen-
tives, even if all philosophers do snap
their fingers at the folly of them.
No soldier left more fearful sweet
l. 4 i IL,
eternal vows were as profuse as they
were sweet and acceptable to so ardent
a lover.
The four months that folly held up as
the delusive extent of the war, glided
into six, then slowly dragged into
year, and still the end was way beyond.
Home life in New England was stupid
in the extreme to SO vivacious girl as
Esther. The novelty had worn off from
letter writing. The first winter had
seen sleigh rides. dances and parties ig-
nored with spirit that seemed as full
of love and patriotism as that shown by
our ancestors of revolutionary days.
The summer had come, and contrary
to all plans land right here is without
doubt the time that fate, in her unex-
plainable mixing with human affairs,
concocted the crime that ruined many
lives) Walter did not obtain furlough
and visit his home and sweetheart.
AS the young men in the smaller cities
had joined the army and given up clerk
ships or junior business positions, many
younger men, or rather boys, sifted
from farms into the towns and took
the positions left vacant. The mills
must be kept going and the hoppers full.
Through such cause there had come to
Keenville young man by the name of
Aaron Voss. He was remarkably
shrewd for one whose whole life had
been spent upon mountainous farm,
but was of such an avaricious nature
that even his shrewdness could not hide
it. The righteousness that is so fire.
auently found among the natives of New
England is far oftener taught by the
rigid economy that they are forced into
from their sterile surroundings than by
a naturally penurious spirit.
Aaron Voss had not, until he came to
Keenville TO fill the position of clerk in
the busy wooden mill, spent as much
money in his whole life as his one
weeks wages paid him at the mill. He
had coveted money, longed for it with
all the craving of his miserely nature
and, with will that was indomitable,
determined to possess ito have enough
of it, so that he should never again want
for it.
With this greedy spirit for money
there came strange longing for love
of woman (what two more contrary spir-
its could possibly exist0 and with the
covetousness of his nature, he desired
/ Esther Carter. The man that attempts
to fathom the working of woman's
heart or mind, possesses egotism that is
sublime. Not being egotistical, we will
not endeavor to account for the strange
promptings that possessed the fair
Esther to accept the attentions of Aaron
I Voss, throughout that long, hot sum-
mer that Walter, with his heart brim-
! full of love and faith, was marching up
and down those tiresome Virginia val
! leys.
| That Esther did not love this greedy,
! grasping admirer is probably indisputa-
ble That she should seek such un-
worthy amusement is inexcusable.
Driving and evening walks with
Aaron Voss had caused many unkind re
marks to be made of Esther by the
town people during the summer. A
thoughtless dragging will often ruin
beautiful garmnt. IT'S so with
Toman's reputation.
With the passionate, reproachful let
tiers that came from Walter there came
3 change in the feelings of Esther. She
felt an abhorance for the misery voss,
and took special pains to show him the
fact; but with him, also, there was q
blindness of the heart that would not see
the true light of Esther's actions.